Li Ruantang would surely disdainfully toss it at his doorstep, telling him not to make such useless and ugly things in the future.

After all, there were rumors in the capital that once, when a young man at the border gave her a sachet, she had bluntly rejected him just like that.

Not leaving any room for sentiment.

He remembered, there were rumors saying that the young man who had chased her to the border was quite influential. Li Ruantang was recalled to the capital also because this young man’s family had advised the Empress that with peace in the world, it was time to focus on civil matters rather than military ones.

Wait, if this was true, then wouldn’t Li Ruantang’s marriage already be set in stone?

Meng Jun frowned. No wonder his mother had always said he shouldn’t delay and miss the opportunity. She must have wanted to secure the marriage contract before that family could petition the Empress, taking advantage of Li Ruantang’s initial return to the capital.

After all, Li Ruantang didn’t like that young man, and compared to a stranger, choosing a childhood friend she knew well was indeed the safest option.

Thinking of this, the young man slightly pursed his lips. She had become such a hot commodity. Anyway, he didn’t care about being her husband either!

But Li Ruantang, unaware of his thoughts, only saw his displeased expression and felt a tightness in her heart. She hurriedly comforted him, “Jiujiu, actually the flower wreath you just helped me wear looks very nice.”

“Really?”

“Mm, really, I like it very much.” Li Ruantang smiled gently, placing the two flower wreaths together.

Looking at it this way, the wreath he made wasn’t much different from the one Li Ruantang had made!

The young man, who had been feeling awkward, slowly relaxed his brow. A hint of inexplicable pride secretly welled up in his heart, but just as the corner of his lips curled up slightly, he forcefully suppressed it.

“Then what wife-master just said about tonight, what did you want to do?”

Now that he was still bearing the title of Li Ruantang’s husband, he naturally had to ask for clarity.

He had privately read quite a few story books, and in those stories, women who had taken husbands would always ‘form a pair’ with their husbands at night.

Although he didn’t quite understand what these four characters meant in the story books, based on his guess, it probably meant sleeping while embracing each other.

Moreover, the story books clearly stated that if they often ‘formed a pair’, the man would become pregnant.

He hadn’t even been married off yet, how could he muddle-headedly lose his innocence like this?

Therefore, the young man looked at her quite seriously. If Li Ruantang brought this up, then he would have to make it clear to her that occasionally hugging was… was not entirely out of the question.

But absolutely, absolutely could not sleep while embracing!

“Jiujiu, did you hear?”

Li Ruantang saw his serious face and sighed slightly, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you be wronged today.”

She wasn’t entirely confident about this matter, especially as the wind had been changing rapidly over the past half day.

Wronged??

The young man was choked by her matter-of-fact attitude, his palms sweating, but if he refused too obviously, it might make her discover that he wasn’t actually her husband.

“Wife-master.” Meng Jun softened his voice, “This isn’t the manor after all.”

—We should be restrained and controlled.

The latter half of the sentence that should have been said was very tactfully replaced by the young man with, “Everything should prioritize your health.”

“Jiujiu, don’t worry. Although I’m not entirely certain about this matter, I’m about seventy percent confident.” Li Ruantang raised her hand to ruffle his hair, “You just rest easy.”

Ugh, Li Ruantang was so shameless.

How could she say such things so blatantly?

Meng Jun frowned worriedly. Let’s not even mention whether her seventy percent confidence was reliable or not, he was used to sleeping alone. How could he possibly sleep while being embraced by her?

The young man sitting on the edge of the kang was distracted. He glanced at Li Ruantang sitting lost in thought at the table, then secretly touched his own belly.

With only seventy percent confidence, it shouldn’t be that accurate, right?

Besides, when he had bathed these past two days, he had checked the chastity mark on his arm, and it hadn’t changed at all.

Strange, he had heard that for men who were married, that spot of vermilion on their arms would disappear.

Which meant that just sleeping under the same covers wouldn’t have an effect. So it must be sleeping while embracing that would break a man’s chastity mark.

That’s right, it must be so!

The more the young man thought about it, the more he felt his deductions were correct. He moved his pillow slightly closer to the window, secretly making up his mind.

In the future, he must keep Li Ruantang away from Hu Sanniang. Such a gullible person, just going out with her once and coming back thinking of ways to torment people.

Moreover, he had heard clearly that Hu Sanniang said Li Ruantang would be at a disadvantage and needed to come up with a strategy.

Hmph!

The young man made a sound through his nose, it seemed that tonight at Ah Ning’s birthday feast, he would have to get Li Ruantang drunk no matter what, to prevent her from thinking of nonsense all day long.

But as those beautiful phoenix eyes fell on Li Ruantang’s profile, he immediately began to deny it in his heart.

No, no.

She’s still injured, she can’t drink.

He was thinking with a worried expression when suddenly there came a loud knocking sound from outside the courtyard gate.

“Has Ah Ning invited friends from the village?”

Just as Meng Jun was about to turn his head to look out the window, Li Ruantang grabbed his sleeve, “Jiujiu, weren’t you going to give Young Master Hu a birthday gift?”

“But someone has come outside.” He also wanted to join in the excitement.

“Silly Jiujiu.” Li Ruantang tapped the tip of his nose, “It’s almost dusk now, if you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the right time.”

“Oh.” The young man responded glumly, taking the small flower Li Ruantang handed him. He sighed a few times, then gradually became engrossed, carefully making the flower wreath in his hands.

Outside the courtyard.

Hu Sanniang had already tried her best to keep the debt-collecting villagers at bay, “Everyone, please stop arguing. Lady Li said she would settle accounts with everyone, and she certainly won’t go back on her word.”

“Hu San, does your conscience not hurt when you say that?” The carpenter Zhang at the front was the most agitated, “Count, count on your fingers, how much has she bought on credit from me since she came? Is she the only precious one? Don’t my whole family need to eat too?”

“Moreover, paying back debts is only right and proper. It can’t be that your family owes Fu Lanxian money, so you let her owe money to everyone else.”

“That’s right, I heard this Lady Li isn’t from any noble family. Hu San, don’t let her swindle all your property, and even your young man!”

“Wang Wu Niang, what nonsense are you talking!” Hu Sanniang had always been protective, and hearing their words becoming more and more excessive, seemingly intending to slander Ning, her willow eyebrows immediately stood up in anger, “Who in this world doesn’t know that a man’s reputation is most important! How dare you speak so recklessly, do you have any proof?!”

“Proof, well–”

Before Wang Wu Niang could finish speaking, the courtyard gate opened with a creak, and Li Ruantang walked out slowly. She lightly glanced over the noisy crowd.

Those almond eyes paused, fixing on Wang Wu Niang who was standing with her hands on her hips looking smug, “Which lady might you be?”

“Lady Li truly is a noble who forgets easily. What you owe is small change to you, but it’s our livelihood. Didn’t you still owe me three strings of cash the day before yesterday?”

“Is that so?”

Li Ruantang raised her eyebrows slightly, sneering, “But for every bit of money I’ve borrowed these past few days, I’ve written a receipt.”

“Firstly, I’ve never seen you before, lady. Secondly, do you have a receipt written in my own hand?”

“Of course.” Wang Wu Niang had been waiting for Li Ruantang to ask this question. She hurriedly reached into her bosom and pulled out a receipt, “Lady Li, please take a look, isn’t this your handwriting?”

Hu Sanniang stepped forward to take it. She had accompanied Li Ruantang on all her shopping trips these past few days, remembering every transaction clearly. Let alone Wang Wu Niang, most of the people who had surged forward hadn’t even come looking for them, so how could there be any talk of receipts?

But Wang Wu Niang spoke with such conviction that Hu Sanniang lowered her head to look, and her heart immediately sank.

Although she was only moderately literate, recognizing handwriting was well within her capabilities. At first glance, she was also startled.

“Lady Li.” She looked worriedly at the expressionless Li Ruantang beside her, lowering her voice, “I’m afraid we’ve been set up.”

“Well, Lady Li, have you remembered now?”

Wang Wu Niang took a smug step forward, “Originally, you’re a noble, and we shouldn’t be so disrespectful. But now we can’t even eat, so you can’t blame us for being inconsiderate and offending our superiors.”

“I see that the brocade robe you’re wearing is quite nice, although it’s old, the gold thread on it is still valuable. Why don’t you use this robe to pay off my three strings of cash first?”

***

An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most

One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.

This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:

1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.

It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.

(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)

2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.

The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.

3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.

Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).

Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.

Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.

4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).

5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!